Nanocomposites and nanoagents for detection and treatment of a target of interest and methods of making and using same

ABSTRACT

A nanocomposite for detection and treatment of a target of interest including tumor cells or pathogens includes at least one nanostructure, each nanostructure having a core and a shell surrounding the core; a reporter assembled on the shell of each nanostructure; and a layer of a treating agent and a targeting agent conjugated to the reporter. In use, the nanocomposite targets to the target of interest according to the targeting agent and releases the treating agent and the nanostructure therein for therapeutic treatment of the target of interest, and the target of interest transmits at least one signature responsive to the reporter for detection of the target of interest.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and the benefit of, pursuant to 35U.S.C. §119(e), U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/322,489,filed Apr. 14, 2016, which is incorporated herein in its entirety byreference.

This application is also a continuation-in-part application of U.S.co-pending patent application Ser. No. 14/181,981, filed Feb. 17, 2014;Ser. No. 14/513,744, filed Oct. 14, 2014; Ser. No. 14/683,929, filedApr. 10, 2015; Ser. No. 14/683,978, filed Apr. 10, 2015; and Ser. No.14/921,927, filed Oct. 23, 2015, which are incorporated herein in theirentireties by reference.

Some references, which may include patents, patent applications, andvarious publications, are cited and discussed in the description of thisinvention. The citation and/or discussion of such references is providedmerely to clarify the description of the present invention and is not anadmission that any such reference is “prior art” to the inventiondescribed herein. All references cited and discussed in thisspecification are incorporated herein by reference in their entiretiesand to the same extent as if each reference was individuallyincorporated by reference. In terms of notation, hereinafter, “[n]”represents the nth reference cited in the reference list. For example,[5] represents the fifth reference cited in the reference list, namely,Nima Z A, Biswas A, Bayer I S, Hardcastle F D, Perry D, Ghosh A, et al.Applications of surface-enhanced Raman scattering in advancedbio-medical technologies and diagnostics*. Drug Metabolism Reviews.2014:1-21. doi: 10.3109/03602532.2013.873451.

STATEMENT AS TO RIGHTS UNDER FEDERALLY-SPONSORED RESEARCH

This invention was made with government support under grant numberIIA-1457888 awarded by the National Science Foundation. The governmenthas certain rights in the invention.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to detections of cancer cells orpathogens, and more particularly to nanocomposites, methods of makingthe same, and applications of the same for multicolor surface enhancedRaman spectroscopy (SERS) detections and imaging of cancer cells orpathogens.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The background description provided herein is for the purpose ofgenerally presenting the context of the present invention. The subjectmatter discussed in the background of the invention section should notbe assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in thebackground of the invention section. Similarly, a problem mentioned inthe background of the invention section or associated with the subjectmatter of the background of the invention section should not be assumedto have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matterin the background of the invention section merely represents differentapproaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions. Work ofthe presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in thebackground of the invention section, as well as aspects of thedescription that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time offiling, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior artagainst the present invention.

Various kinds of nanoparticles have been used as drug-delivery agents:polymers, liposomes, viruses, micelles, dendrimers [1], carbon nanotubes[2], graphene [2], and metallic nanoparticles [3]. However, most ofthese systems possess rather limited functionalities. A successfulnano-sized system that is expected to be used in clinical applicationsrelated to cancer diagnosis and treatment, needs to havemultifunctional/tunable characteristics that include the following:controllable surface chemistry/energy, stability in liquid environmentsagainst agglomeration and corrosion, lack of toxicity, ability togenerate unique and intense signals that can be detected with highresolution in tissues, capability to be attached to various targetingagents (antibodies), capacity to carry/deliver drugs orbiochemically-active molecules.

Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the art to addressthe aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In certain aspects, this invention is based on using plasmonicallyactive silver-decorated gold nanorods (AuNR/Ag) as specific targetingdual drug delivery system. Using coupling reactions, doxorubicin (D1)and anti-EpCAM (Ab1) and Docetaxel (D2) and anti-CD44 (Ab2) antibodiesare covalently bound to thiolated polyethylene glycol-coated AuNR/Ag andthen used as a vehicle to specifically trace and deliver lethal doses ofchemotherapy. This nanorod based system with specific Ramanspectroscopic properties could additionally provide unique and strongsignals to enable their accurate detection inside cells and furtherconfirm their strong interactions with them. The development ofplasmonically active nanodrug concepts with unique signatures couldrepresent a possible approach for the specific targeting andvisualization of cells, as well as solid tumors, while deliveringanti-cancer molecules for enhanced cancer treatment.

In certain aspects, the invention also relates to a method to deliver tosingle cancer cell micro- or macro-tumors, a multitude of drug deliveryvehicles, each with a different antibody or targeting molecule and eachwith a different drug. The goal is to synergistically enhance the deathrates of the cancer cells by the delivery of a multitude of drugsattached to nanovehicles connected to a multitude of targetingmolecules. Additionally, the plasmonic nanorods, can be decorated with amultitude of Raman scattering molecules that can provide multiplesignatures for their accurate determination and detection. This methodis capable of detecting and quantifying each of the drugs from amultitude of drug cocktails that reach the cancer cells, micro or macrotumors.

In one aspect, the invention relates to a nanocomposite for detectionand treatment of a target of interest, where the target of interestcomprises tumor cells or pathogens. In one embodiment, the nanocompositeincludes at least one nanostructure, each nanostructure having a coreand a shell surrounding the core; a reporter assembled on the shell ofeach nanostructure; and a layer of a treating agent and a targetingagent conjugated to the reporter. In use, the nanocomposite targets tothe target of interest according to the targeting agent and releases thetreating agent and the nanostructure therein for therapeutic treatmentof the target of interest, and the target of interest transmits at leastone signature responsive to the reporter for detection of the target ofinterest.

In one embodiment, each core comprises a nanoparticle including a goldnanorod, and wherein the shell comprises a layer comprising silvernanoparticles.

In one embodiment, the reporter comprises 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4MBA),p-aminothiophenol (PATP), p-nitrothiophenol (PNTP),4-(methylsulfanyl)thiophenol (4MSTP), molecules with an unique Ramanspectral signature, or a fluorescent agent.

In one embodiment, the at least one signature transmitted from thetarget of interest responsive to the reporter is detectable by at leastone of surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), magnetic resonanceimaging (MRI), x-ray radiography, computed tomography (CT), and infraredspectroscopy (IR).

In one embodiment, he treating agent comprises a drug, a growth factor,a protein, or other biologically active molecules.

In one embodiment, the targeting agent comprises anti-epithelial celladhesion molecule antibody (anti-EpCAM), anti-CD44 antibody,anti-insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor antibody (anti-IGF-1R),anti-Keratin 18 antibody, or one or more antibodies specific to thetarget of interest.

In one embodiment, the nanocomposite further includes a pegylated layerformed between the reporter and the layer of the drug and the targetingagent, or formed between the shell and the reporter.

In one embodiment, the pegylated layer comprises at least one ofthiolated polyethylene glycol (HS-PEG), thiolated polyethylene glycolacid (HS-PEG-COOH) and HS-PEG-NHx.

In one embodiment, the treating agent and the targeting agent areconjugated to the pegylated layer through a carboxylic group of theHS-PEG-COOH or amine group of the HS-PEG-NHx.

In another aspect, the invention relates to a method for detection andtreatment of a target of interest, where the target of interestcomprises tumor cells or pathogens. In one embodiment, the methodincludes administering to the target of interest an effective amount ofthe above nanocomposite, so that the nanocomposite targets to the targetof interest according to the targeting agent and releases the treatingagent and the nanostructure therein for therapeutic treatment of thetarget of interest; and measuring the at least one signature transmittedfrom the target of interest responsive to the reporter to detect thetarget of interest according to the measured signature.

In yet another aspect, the invention relates to a nanoagent fordetections and treatments of multiple targets of interest, where eachtarget of interest comprises a respective type of tumor cells orpathogens. In one embodiment, the nanoagent comprises multiple types ofnanocomposites. Each type of nanocomposites includes at least onenanostructure, each nanostructure having a core and a shell surroundingthe core; a respective reporter assembled on the shell of eachnanostructure; and a layer of a respective treating agent and arespective targeting agent conjugated to the respective reporter. Inuse, each type of nanocomposite targets to a respective target ofinterest according to the respective targeting agent and releases therespective treating agent and the nanostructure therein for therapeutictreatment of the respective target of interest, and the respectivetarget of interest transmits at least one signature responsive to therespective reporter for detection of the respective target of interest.

In one embodiment, each core comprises a nanoparticle including a goldnanorod, and wherein the shell comprises a layer comprising silvernanoparticles.

In one embodiment, the respective reporter comprises 4-mercaptobenzoicacid (4MBA), p-aminothiophenol (PATP), p-nitrothiophenol (PNTP),4-(methylsulfanyl)thiophenol (4MSTP), molecules with an unique Ramanspectral signature, or a fluorescent agent.

In one embodiment, the at least one signature transmitted from therespective target of interest responsive to the respective reporter isdetectable by at least one of surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy(SERS), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), x-ray radiography, computedtomography (CT), and infrared spectroscopy (IR).

In one embodiment, the respective treating agent comprises a drug, agrowth factor, a protein, or other biologically active molecules.

In one embodiment, the respective targeting agent comprisesanti-epithelial cell adhesion molecule antibody (anti-EpCAM), anti-CD44antibody, anti-insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor antibody(anti-IGF-1R), anti-Keratin 18 antibody, or one or more antibodiesspecific to the target of interest.

In one embodiment, each type of nanocomposites further comprises apegylated layer formed between the respective reporter and the layer ofthe respective drug and the respective targeting agent, or formedbetween the shell and the respective reporter.

In one embodiment, the pegylated layer comprises at least one ofthiolated polyethylene glycol (HS-PEG), thiolated polyethylene glycolacid (HS-PEG-COOH) and HS-PEG-NHx.

In one embodiment, the respective treating agent and the respectivetargeting agent are conjugated to the pegylated layer through acarboxylic group of the HS-PEG-COOH or amine group of the HS-PEG-NHx.

In a further aspect, the invention relates to a method for detectionsand treatments of multiple targets of interest, where each target ofinterest comprises a respective type of tumor cells or pathogens. In oneembodiment, the method comprises administering to the multiple targetsof interest an effective amount of the above disclosed nanoagent, sothat each type of nanocomposite targets to a respective target ofinterest according to the respective targeting agent and releases therespective treating agent and the nanostructure therein for therapeutictreatment of the respective target of interest; and measuring the atleast one signature transmitted from each target of interest responsiveto the respective reporter to detect the respective target of interestaccording to the measured signature.

In one aspect, the invention relates to a method of making ananocomposite for detection and treatment of a target of interest, wherethe target of interest comprises tumor cells or pathogens. In oneembodiment, the method comprises forming at least one nanostructure,each nanostructure having a core and a shell surrounding the core;assembling a reporter on the shell of each nanostructure, wherein thereporter is adapted for respectively transmitting at least one signaturefrom the target of interest; and conjugating a layer of a treating agentand a targeting agent to the reporter, wherein the treating agent isadapted for treating the target of interest, and the targeting agent isadapted for targeting the nanocomposite to the target of interest.

In one embodiment, each core comprises a nanoparticle including a goldnanorod, and wherein the shell comprises a layer comprising silvernanoparticles.

In one embodiment, the step of assembling the reporter comprisesdispersing the at least one nanostructure in distilled water to form afirst mixture; dissolving the reporter in ethanol to form a reportersolution; adding the reporter solution to the first mixture and stirringto form a second mixture; and centrifuging the second mixture to form afirst precipitate comprising the at least one nanostructure assembledwith the reporter. In one embodiment, the reporter comprises4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4MBA), p-aminothiophenol (PATP),p-nitrothiophenol (PNTP), 4-(methylsulfanyl)thiophenol (4MSTP),molecules with an unique Raman spectral signature, or a fluorescentagent.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises coating a thiolated PEGlayer on the assembled reporter, comprising: dispersing the firstprecipitate in a thiolated polyethylene glycol acid (HS-PEG-COOH)solution and vigorously stirring to form a third mixture; addingthiolated polyethylene glycol (HS-PEG) to the third mixture and keepingit at a temperature for a period of time to form a fourth mixture; andcentrifuging the fourth mixture to form a second precipitate, whereinthe second precipitate comprises the nanostructure assembled with thereporter coated with the thiolated PEG layer.

In one embodiment, the step of conjugating the layer of the treatingagent and the targeting agent to the reporter comprises suspending thesecond precipitate in a PBS buffer by sonicating to form a suspendingmixture; adding N-hydroxysuccinimide (NETS) and1N-ethyl-N′-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) tothe suspending mixture and stirring to form a fifth mixture; washing thefifth mixture by centrifuging to obtain a third precipitate; dispensingthe third precipitate in the PBS buffer to form a sixth mixture; addingthe treating agent and/or the targeting agent to the sixth mixture andmixing thoroughly to form a seventh mixture; and stirring the seventhmixture at a temperature to form the nanocomposite.

In one embodiment, the treating agent comprises a drug, a growth factor,a protein, or other biologically active molecules.

In one embodiment, the targeting agent comprises anti-epithelial celladhesion molecule antibody (anti-EpCAM), anti-CD44 antibody,anti-insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor antibody (anti-IGF-1R),anti-Keratin 18 antibody, or one or more antibodies specific to thetarget of interest.

These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparentfrom the following description of the preferred embodiment taken inconjunction with the following drawings, although variations andmodifications therein may be effected without departing from the spiritand scope of the novel concepts of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed incolor. Copies of this patent or patent application publication withcolor drawing(s) will be provided by the Patent and Trademark Officeupon request and payment of the necessary fee.

The following figures form part of the present specification and areincluded to further demonstrate certain aspects of the invention. Theinvention may be better understood by reference to one or more of thesefigures in combination with the detailed description of specificembodiments presented herein. The drawings described below are forillustration purposes only. The drawings are not intended to limit thescope of the present teachings in any way.

FIG. 1A schematically shows a nanocomposite according to one embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 1B shows a transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image ofnanocomposites according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 schematically shows a possible mechanism of killing cancer cellsby nanocomposites according to one embodiment of the invention. In thisprocess, the nanomaterials target the surface receptors of the cancercells and then they get internalized releasing the drugs attached totheir surface. The dug is therefore delivered specifically down tosingle cancer cell level.

FIGS. 3A and 3B shows Raman spectra in cells and tissues administeredwith nanocomposites according to one embodiment of the invention. Aspart of this process, one or more of the peaks that is specific to eachfamily of nanocomposites can be used to not just visualize them inbiological systems, but also to possibly quantify them. Peaks that arenot overlapping can be used for the actual analysis. Given the SERSenhancement provided by the Au—Ag structure of the nanocomposites, thesepeaks are strong enough to where they can be detected easily amongvarious biological systems. FIG. 3B shows the mechanism of loading thenanocomposites with various drugs (in this case doxorubicin), and thequantification of the attachment efficiency by optical spectroscopy. Theintensity of one of the drug absorption peaks can be used for thispurpose.

FIG. 4 shows visualization by SERS of the nanocomposites with drugs andantibodies in cancer cells according to one embodiment of the invention.Specifically, one of the peaks, as presented in FIG. 3A can be used forvisualization. The intensity of the peak is measured and mapped over thedesired area. Based on this protocol, we can actually visualize and mapthe presence of the nanocomposites in cells, tissues or other biologicalenvironments. We propose the delivery of a “cocktail” of nanocompositefamilies for a more efficient cancer killing process. Specifically, inour proposed study, we propose to use a multitude of nanocompositefamilies, each with a different SERS molecule, a different drug and adifferent targeting molecule (antibody, peptide, etc). In this way, eachfamily of nanocomposite will have a different SERS signature. Moreover,using independent peaks from each of the nanocomposite families, we canvisualize each one of them in biological systems. Furthermore, we canquantify the ratio between the presence of various nanocompositefamilies. By doing this, it is possible to find the ratio of variousdrugs delivered to the cancer cells and tumors. These plasmonicallyactive nanocomposites can be further activated by laser orelectromagnetic excitation for heat generation and a more efficient drugrelease profile.

FIG. 5 schematically shows a binding process for attaching drugs andantibodies to the surface of the plasmonically active carriers accordingto one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 schematically shows a process for making a nanoagent ofplasmonically active nanorods decorated with a multitude of drugs and amultitude of targeting molecules according to one embodiment of theinvention. Each of these nanocomposites has a different Raman moleculethat provides a different SERS signature.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodimentsof the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Likereference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

The terms used in this specification generally have their ordinarymeanings in the art, within the context of the invention, and in thespecific context where each term is used. Certain terms that are used todescribe the invention are discussed below, or elsewhere in thespecification, to provide additional guidance to the practitionerregarding the description of the invention. For convenience, certainterms may be highlighted, for example using italics and/or quotationmarks. The use of highlighting and/or capital letters has no influenceon the scope and meaning of a term; the scope and meaning of a term arethe same, in the same context, whether or not it is highlighted and/orin capital letters. It will be appreciated that the same thing can besaid in more than one way. Consequently, alternative language andsynonyms may be used for any one or more of the terms discussed herein,nor is any special significance to be placed upon whether or not a termis elaborated or discussed herein. Synonyms for certain terms areprovided. A recital of one or more synonyms does not exclude the use ofother synonyms. The use of examples anywhere in this specification,including examples of any terms discussed herein, is illustrative onlyand in no way limits the scope and meaning of the invention or of anyexemplified term. Likewise, the invention is not limited to variousembodiments given in this specification.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on”another element, it can be directly on the other element or interveningelements may be present therebetween. In contrast, when an element isreferred to as being “directly on” another element, there are nointervening elements present. As used herein, the term “and/or” includesany and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third,etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components,regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions,layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These termsare only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer orsection from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus,a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below canbe termed a second element, component, region, layer or section withoutdeparting from the teachings of the invention.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising”, or “includes” and/or “including” or “has” and/or“having” when used in this specification specify the presence of statedfeatures, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/orcomponents, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or moreother features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

Furthermore, relative terms, such as “lower” or “bottom” and “upper” or“top”, may be used herein to describe one element's relationship toanother element as illustrated in the figures. It will be understoodthat relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations ofthe device in addition to the orientation shown in the figures. Forexample, if the device in one of the figures is turned over, elementsdescribed as being on the “lower” side of other elements would then beoriented on the “upper” sides of the other elements. The exemplary term“lower” can, therefore, encompass both an orientation of lower andupper, depending on the particular orientation of the figure. Similarly,if the device in one of the figures is turned over, elements describedas “below” or “beneath” other elements would then be oriented “above”the other elements. The exemplary terms “below” or “beneath” can,therefore, encompass both an orientation of above and below.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will befurther understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and theinvention, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formalsense unless expressly so defined herein.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on”,“attached” to, “connected” to, “coupled” with, “contacting”, etc.,another element, it can be directly on, attached to, connected to,coupled with or contacting the other element or intervening elements mayalso be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being,for example, “directly on”, “directly attached” to, “directly connected”to, “directly coupled” with or “directly contacting” another element,there are no intervening elements present. It will also be appreciatedby those of skill in the art that references to a structure or featurethat is disposed “adjacent” to another feature may have portions thatoverlap or underlie the adjacent feature.

As used herein, “around”, “about”, “substantially” or “approximately”shall generally mean within 20 percent, preferably within 10 percent,and more preferably within 5 percent of a given value or range.Numerical quantities given herein are approximate, meaning that theterms “around”, “about”, “substantially” or “approximately” can beinferred if not expressly stated.

As used herein, the terms “comprise” or “comprising”, “include” or“including”, “carry” or “carrying”, “has/have” or “having”, “contain” or“containing”, “involve” or “involving” and the like are to be understoodto be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to.

As used herein, the term “MCF-7” refers to a breast cancer cell lineisolated in 1970 from a 69-year-old Caucasian woman. MCF-7 is theacronym of Michigan Cancer Foundation-7, referring to the institute inDetroit where the cell line was established in 1973 by Herbert Soule andco-workers. The Michigan Cancer Foundation is now known as the BarbaraAnn Karmanos Cancer Institute. Prior to MCF-7, it was not possible forcancer researchers to obtain a mammary cell line that was capable ofliving longer than a few months. The patient, whose name, FrancesMallon, is unknown to the vast majority of cancer researchers, died in1970. Her cells were the source of much of current knowledge aboutbreast cancer. At the time of sampling, she was a nun in the convent ofImmaculate Heart of Mary in Monroe, Mich. under the name of SisterCatherine Frances. MCF-7 and two other breast cancer cell lines, namedT-47D and MDA-MB -231, account for more than two-thirds of all abstractsreporting studies on mentioned breast cancer cell lines, as concludedfrom a Medline-based survey.

As used herein, the term “BJ-1 cell line” refers to a normal skinfibroblast cell line, which is available from American Type CultureCollection (ATCC) with ATCC number CRL-2522.

As used herein, the term “circulating tumor cells” or “CTCs” refers tocells that have shed into the vasculature from a primary tumor andcirculate in the bloodstream. CTCs thus constitute seeds for subsequentgrowth of additional tumors (metastasis) in vital distant organs,triggering a mechanism that is responsible for the vast majority ofcancer-related deaths.

As used herein, the term “4MBA” refers to 4-mercaptobaezoic acid, PNTPis the abbreviation of p-nitrobenzoic acid, PATP is the abbreviation ofp-aminobenzoic acid, 4MSTP is the abbreviation of 4-methylsulfanylthiophenol, and 4APDS is the abbreviation of 4-aminophenyldisulfide.

As used herein, the term “HS-PEG-COOH and HS-PEG” refer to thiolatedpolyethylene glycol with or without acid terminal, respectively.

As used herein, the term “phosphate buffered saline” or “PBS” refers toa buffer solution commonly used in biological research. It is awater-based salt solution containing sodium phosphate, sodium chlorideand, in some formulations, potassium chloride and potassium phosphate.The osmolarity and ion concentrations of the solutions match those ofthe human body (isotonic).

As used herein, the term “bovine serum albumin” or “BSA” or “Fraction V”refers to a serum albumin protein derived from cows. It is often used asa protein concentration standard in lab experiments.

As used herein, the term “fetal bovine serum” or “FBS” or “fetal calfserum” refers to the blood fraction remaining after the naturalcoagulation of blood, followed by centrifugation to remove any remainingred blood cells. Fetal bovine serum comes from the blood drawn from abovine fetus via a closed system of collection at the slaughterhouse.Fetal bovine serum is the most widely used serum-supplement for the invitro cell culture of eukaryotic cells. This is due to it having a verylow level of antibodies and containing more growth factors, allowing forversatility in many different cell culture applications.

The description will be made as to the embodiments of the presentdisclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In accordancewith the purposes of this disclosure, as embodied and broadly describedherein, this disclosure, in one aspect, relates to multispectralplasmonically active nanostructures for the delivery of multiple drugsto cancer cells and methods of fabricating and using same.

Nanoparticles can be engineered to become a delivery vehicle for cancerchemotherapy. Recently, a promising new system of nanomaterials has beenused for specifically targeting and detecting single circulating tumorcells (CTCs) [4] based on plasmonically active nanomaterials constructedusing the core-shell approaches. Silver-coated gold nanorods (AuNR/Ag)have unique spectral and surface features that make them a suitablecandidate for delivering chemotherapy specifically to tumor cells. Thesenanosystems have proved to possess multi-color, surface-enhanced Ramanspectroscopy (SERS) capabilities, allowing not only rapid detection butalso specific targeting of breast cancer MCF-7 cells.

SERS is an intensively investigated approach to study and detectbio-molecular events down to the level of a single molecule [5]. It hasbeen shown that the use of plasmonically active nanosystems can resultin their SERS detection and multiplex visualization in complex tissuesystems with drastically higher sensitivity (picomolar compared tonanomolar) compared to classical fluorescence of quantum dots [6].Therefore, significant effort is spent in the construction and testingof SERS agents that can specifically target/detect single cancer cellsin circulation, but also deliver drug molecules or other killing agents,while providing a highly specific and intense signal for accuratedetection and visualization.

In certain aspects, this invention is based on using plasmonicallyactive silver-decorated gold nanorods (AuNR/Ag) as specific targetingdual drug delivery system. Using coupling reactions, doxorubicin (D1)and anti-EpCAM (Ab1) and Docetaxel (D2) and anti-CD44 (Ab2) antibodiesare covalently bound to thiolated polyethylene glycol-coated AuNR/Ag andthen used as a vehicle to specifically trace and deliver lethal doses ofchemotherapy. This nanorod based system with specific Ramanspectroscopic properties could additionally provide unique and strongsignals to enable their accurate detection inside cells and furtherconfirm their strong interactions with them. The development ofplasmonically active nanodrug concepts with unique signatures couldrepresent a possible approach for the specific targeting andvisualization of cells, as well as solid tumors, while deliveringanti-cancer molecules for enhanced cancer treatment.

In certain aspects, the invention also relates to a method to deliver tosingle cancer cell micro- or macro-tumors, a multitude of drug deliveryvehicles, each with a different antibody or targeting molecule and eachwith a different drug. The goal is to synergistically enhance the deathrates of the cancer cells by the delivery of a multitude of drugsattached to nanovehicles connected to a multitude of targetingmolecules. Additionally, the plasmonic nanorods are decorated with amultitude of Raman scattering molecules that provide multiple signaturesfor their accurate determination and detection. This method is capableof detecting and quantifying each of the drugs from a multitude of drugcocktails that reach the cancer cells, micro or macro tumors.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, and particularly FIG. 1A, a nanocompositefor detection and treatment of a target of interest is shown accordingto one embodiment of the invention. In exemplary embodiment, thenanocomposite includes one nanostructure having a gold core and a silverlayer surrounding the gold core; a reporter, e.g., a p-amionthiophenol(PATP) layer, assembled on the silver layer of the nanostructure; and alayer of a treating agent, e.g., Doxorubicin (Dox), and a targetingagent, e.g., anti-EpCAM, conjugated to the reporter. In addition, thenanocomposite further includes a pegylated layer, e.g., HS-PEG-COOH,formed between the reporter and the layer of the drug and the targetingagent. In certain embodiments, the a pegylated layer may be formedbetween the silver layer and the reporter (e.g., FIG. 6).

As shown in FIG. 2, when in use, the nanocomposite targets thebiological target of interest according to the specific targeting agentattached to its surface and releases the treating agent and thenanostructure therein for therapeutic treatment of the target ofinterest, and the target of interest transmits at least one signatureresponsive to the reporter for detection of the target of interest.Specifically, we have a carrier (the gold core nanostructure), coatedwith a silver thin film (0.1-5 nm thickness), which has the role of SERSamplification. This film is coated with a spectroscopically activemolecule, which provides the SERS signal. The entire system is coatedwith a PEG layer, or any other polymer that can provide attachment sitesfor further functionalization. Also the layer is supposed to keep andshield the silver film from oxidizing and the spectroscopically activemolecule from being released or lost. The next step is thefunctionalization with specific targeting molecules (such as antibodies,fragments of antibodies, proteins, enzymes, growth factors, etc).Additionally the PEG or polymeric layer will be decorated with the drugof choice against the type of biological entity that is targeted.

In certain embodiments, the gold core a gold nanorod (AuNR). The aspectratio (AR) is defined as the ratio of the length of the AuNR to thediameter of the AuNR. In one embodiment, the AR of the AuNR may be inthe range of about 0.3-30, and the length and diameter of the AuNR maybe in the range of about 3.6-360 nanometer (nm) and about 1.2-120 nm,respectively. In one embodiment, the AR of the AuNR is in the range ofabout 1-9. In one embodiment, the preferred AR of the AuNR is in therange of about 2-5. In one embodiment, the preferred AR of the AuNR isin the range of about 2.77-3.23, or about 3±0.23. In one embodiment, thelength and diameter of the AuNR may be in the range of about 10-100 nmand about 1-40 nm, respectively. In one embodiment, the particle lengthand diameter of the AuNR may be approximately 36±0.80 nm and 12±0.41 nm,respectively. In one embodiment, these two dimensions are adequate toform two kinds of surface plasmon modes: a weak one around 520 nmtransvers mode, and a very strong longitudinal plasmon around 766 nm.The longitudinal surface plasmon is crucial, and the maximum excitationof this strong surface plasmon mode can be achieved when excited by aRaman excitation laser at about 784 nm. This ensures ultimatesensitivity and very low detection limits when uses SERS for cancer celldetection.

In one embodiment, the silver layer is coated on the AuNR to form asilver coated gold nanorod (AuNR/Ag). In one embodiment, the AuNR andthe silver layer have rough surfaces.

In one embodiment, the thickness of the silver layer may be in the rangeof about 0.2-20 nm. In one embodiment, the thickness of the silver layeris in the range of about 0.5-5 nm. In one embodiment, the thickness ofthe silver layer is about 1-2 nm. In one embodiment, the thickness ofthe silver layer is about 1.7 nm. The thin silver layer helps maintainthe longitudinal surface plasmon wavelength as close as possible to theexcitation laser source (784 nm), in order to achieve the maximum SERSsignal. Any thick silver coating will change the surface plasmonsignificantly.

In one embodiment, the reporter is a Raman reporter molecule layerhaving Raman reporter molecules. In one embodiment, the Raman reportermolecules are thiolated organic molecules absorbed on the surface of theAuNR/Ag. In one embodiment, the Raman reporter molecule may be at leastone of 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4MBA), p-aminothiophenol (PATP),p-nitrothiophenol (PNTP), 4-(methylsulfanyl) thiophenol (4MSTP), andother molecules with unique Raman spectra and intense Raman peakintensities. In other words, the nanocomposite may have four types: ananocomposite having a 4MBA reporter layer, a nanocomposite having aPATP reporter layer, a nanocomposite having a PNTP reporter layer, and ananocomposite having a 4MSTP reporter layer. In certain embodiments, ananoagent (noncompound) may include all of these four types ofnanocomposites. All the SER Raman spectra are obtained through thedetection of those Raman reporter molecules. In the exemplaryembodiment, the reporter molecule is a Raman reporter molecule.

In certain embodiments, the reporter may include other type of reportermolecules such that the produced nanocomposites may be used togetherwith detecting methods other than SERS, such as MRI, x-ray radiography,CT or IR. In certain embodiments, the reporter molecule is detectable bydifferent methods. In certain embodiments, the report molecules mayinclude one or more fluorescent agents. The one or more fluorescentagents can be quantum dots or fluorescent dyes.

In one embodiment, the pegylated layer is applied to the surface of theSERS reporter molecule coated AuNR/Ag. In some embodiments, thepegylated layer may include thiolated PEG polymers, for example, atleast one of HS-PEG, HS-PEG-COOH and HS-PEG-NHx, which are suitable forbeing used as SERS tags and are non-toxic. Additionally, the thiolatedPEG polymers do not displace Raman reporter molecules, which attach tothe surface of gold nanoparticles. In certain embodiments, the x in theHS-PEG-NHx is a positive integer. In one embodiment, x is 1 or 2.

In certain embodiments, the pegylated layer includes a mixture of HS-PEGand HS-PEG-COOH, which serves as protective, bio-dispersive and linkerto the later conjugated antibodies. In one embodiment, the averagemolecular weight of the HS-PEG is about 5 kD, and the average molecularweight of the HS-PEG-COOH is about 3 kD. In one embodiment, each nanorod(SERS reporter molecule coated AuNR/Ag) requires about 4,200 moleculesto assure complete surface coverage, i.e., each HS-PEG molecule required0.35 nm² footprint. The pegylated layer may achieve at least twopurposes. First, the pegylated layer protects the nanorods surface andmakes the nanocomposite more hydrophilic, and easily disperses thenanocomposite in aqueous medium, for example, biological fluids. Second,the pegylated layer provides a carboxylic terminal on the surface of theSERS reporter molecule coated AuNR/Ag, which is the linker between theSERS reporter molecule coated AuNR/Ag surface and the antibodies thatwill attached thereon for targeting the target, such as cancer cells.

In certain embodiments, the targeting agent is an antibody. The antibodyincludes molecules of a type of antibody which specifically targetingcertain cancer cell surface antigen. In one embodiment, the antibody isattached covalently to HS-PEG-COOH (—COOH terminal) and plays a role inthe specific SERS nanocomposite delivery to the cancer cells.

In one embodiment, the antibody may include molecules of at least one ofan anti-EpCAM antibody, an anti-CD44 antibody, an anti-IGF-1R Receptor βantibody, an anti-Keratin 18 antibody, and one or more antibodiesspecific to the target of interest. In other words, the one or morenanocomposites of the nanoagent may include at least one of thefollowing four types of nanocomposites: the nanocomposite having ananti-EpCAM antibody layer, the nanocomposite having an anti-CD44antibody layer, the nanocomposite having an anti-IGF-1R Receptor βantibody layer, and the nanocomposite having an anti-keratin 18 antibodylayer. In one embodiment, the biocompatible nanoagent having at leastone of the four types of nanocomposites may be used for detecting andimaging breast cancer cells, for example, MCF-7, and allow for thecapability to distinguish one single cancer cells among normal cells. Inone embodiment, the biocompatible nanoagent includes all four types ofnanocomposites. In the exemplary embodiments, the targeting agentincludes antibodies.

In certain embodiments, the targeting agent may include other type oftargeting molecules to specifically binding an object, for example, aligand that can bind a receptor, or a lectin that can bind acarbohydrate.

In certain embodiments, the treating agent may include one or moremolecules of interest attached to the pegylated layer or the targetingagent. In one embodiment, the molecule of interest is a growth factorthat induces certain biological functions, including the growth,proliferation of differentiation of cells or organisms. In oneembodiment, the molecule of interest is a protein, a drug, or abiological system that induces certain biological functions, the deathof cells, tissues, or organisms. The one or more drugs may be anticancerdrugs, antibiotics, or antiviral drugs.

In certain aspects of the invention, a method for detection andtreatment of a target of interest is provided. The target of interestmay include tumor cells or pathogens. In one embodiment, the methodincludes administering to the target of interest an effective amount ofthe above nanocomposite, so that the nanocomposite targets to the targetof interest according to the targeting agent and releases the treatingagent and the nanostructure therein for therapeutic treatment of thetarget of interest; and measuring the at least one signature transmittedfrom the target of interest responsive to the reporter to detect thetarget of interest according to the measured signature. The signature inone embodiment can be the SERS.

In certain aspects of the invention, a nanoagent (or nonaconpound) fordetections and treatments of multiple targets of interest is provided,where each target of interest comprises a respective type of tumor cellsor pathogens. In one embodiment, the nanoagent comprises multiple typesof nanocomposites. Each type of nanocomposites includes at least onenanostructure, each nanostructure having a core and a shell surroundingthe core; a respective reporter assembled on the shell of eachnanostructure; and a layer of a respective treating agent and arespective targeting agent conjugated to the respective reporter. In oneembodiment, each core comprises a nanoparticle including a gold nanorod,and wherein the shell comprises a layer comprising silver nanoparticles.

When in use, each type of nanocomposite targets to a respective targetof interest according to the respective targeting agent and releases therespective treating agent and the nanostructure therein for therapeutictreatment of the respective target of interest, and the respectivetarget of interest transmits at least one signature responsive to therespective reporter for detection of the respective target of interest.Accordingly, each of these nanocomposites has a different Raman moleculethat provide a different SERS signature. For example, FIG. 4 shows avisualization with multiple SERS signatures of the nanoagent with drugsand antibodies in cancer cells. Specifically, one of the peaks, aspresented in FIG. 3A can be used for visualization. The intensity of thepeak is measured and mapped over the desired area. Based on thisprotocol, we can actually visualize and map the presence of thenanocomposites in cells, tissues or other biological environments. Wepropose the delivery of a “cocktail” of nanocomposite families for amore efficient cancer killing process. Specifically, in our proposedstudy, we propose to use a multitude of nanocomposite families, eachwith a different SERS molecule, a different drug and a differenttargeting molecule (antibody, peptide, etc). In this way, each family ofnanocomposite will have a different SERS signature. Moreover, usingindependent peaks from each of the nanocomposite families, we canvisualize each one of them in biological systems. Furthermore, we canquantify the ratio between the presence of various nanocompositefamilies. By doing this, it is possible to find the ratio of variousdrugs delivered to the cancer cells and tumors. These plasmonicallyactive nanocomposites can be further activated by laser orelectromagnetic excitation for heat generation and a more efficient drugrelease profile.

In one embodiment, the respective reporter comprises 4-mercaptobenzoicacid (4MBA), p-aminothiophenol (PATP), p-nitrothiophenol (PNTP),4-(methylsulfanyl) thiophenol (4MSTP), molecules with an unique Ramanspectral signature, or a fluorescent agent. Accordingly, the nanoagentmay include at least one of the four types of nanocompositescorresponding to four types of reporter molecules. In certainembodiments, the nanoagent may include all four types of nanocomposites.In certain embodiments, the nanoagent may include one, two, three, ormore than four types of nanocomposites, and each type of nanocompositehas a special type of reporter molecule. In other embodiments, one typeof nanocomposite may include two or more different types of reportermolecules. In certain embodiments, one type of nanocomposite may alsoinclude two, three, four or more types of reporter molecules.

In one embodiment, the at least one signature transmitted from therespective target of interest responsive to the respective reporter isdetectable by at least one of SERS, MRI, x-ray radiography, CT, andinfrared spectroscopy.

In one embodiment, the respective treating agent comprises a drug, agrowth factor, a protein, or other biologically active molecules.

In one embodiment, the respective targeting agent comprisesanti-epithelial cell adhesion molecule antibody (anti-EpCAM), anti-CD44antibody, anti-insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor antibody(anti-IGF-1R), anti-Keratin 18 antibody, or one or more antibodiesspecific to the target of interest.

In one embodiment, each type of nanocomposites further comprises apegylated layer formed between the respective reporter and the layer ofthe respective drug and the respective targeting agent, or formedbetween the shell and the respective reporter.

In one embodiment, the pegylated layer comprises at least one ofthiolated polyethylene glycol (HS-PEG), thiolated polyethylene glycolacid (HS-PEG-COOH) and HS-PEG-NHx.

In one embodiment, the respective treating agent and the respectivetargeting agent are conjugated to the pegylated layer through acarboxylic group of the HS-PEG-COOH or amine group of the HS-PEG-NHx.

In one aspect, the invention relates to a method for detections andtreatments of multiple targets of interest, where each target ofinterest comprises a respective type of tumor cells or pathogens. In oneembodiment, the method comprises administering to the multiple targetsof interest an effective amount of the above disclosed nanoagent, sothat each type of nanocomposite targets to a respective target ofinterest according to the respective targeting agent and releases therespective treating agent and the nanostructure therein for therapeutictreatment of the respective target of interest; and measuring the atleast one signature transmitted from each target of interest responsiveto the respective reporter to detect the respective target of interestaccording to the measured signature.

In another aspect, the invention relates to a method of making ananocomposite for detection and treatment of a target of interest. Themethod includes forming at least one nanostructure, each nanostructurehaving a core and a shell surrounding the core, e.g., AuNR/Ag. In oneembodiment shown in FIG. 5, the method also includes assembling areporter, e.g., PATP, on the shell of each nanostructure and coating athiolated PEG layer, e.g., HS-PEG-COOH, on the assembled reporter, e.g.,AuNR/Ag/PATP/HS-PEG-COOH. The method further includes conjugating alayer of a treating agent, e.g., Doxorubicin (Dox), to the thiolated PEGlayer, e.g., using N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) and/or1N-ethyl-N′-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC).The conjugated layer may also include a targeting agent.

The reporter is adapted for respectively transmitting at least onesignature from the target of interest. The treating agent is adapted fortreating the target of interest. The targeting agent is adapted fortargeting the nanocomposite to the target of interest.

In certain embodiments, the reporter comprises 4-mercaptobenzoic acid(4MBA), p-aminothiophenol (PATP), p-nitrothiophenol (PNTP),4-(methylsulfanyl) thiophenol (4MSTP), molecules with an unique Ramanspectral signature, or a fluorescent agent.

In certain embodiments, the treating agent comprises a drug, a growthfactor, a protein, or other biologically active molecules.

In certain embodiments, the targeting agent comprises anti-epithelialcell adhesion molecule antibody (anti-EpCAM), anti-CD44 antibody,anti-insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor antibody (anti-IGF-1R),anti-Keratin 18 antibody, or one or more antibodies specific to thetarget of interest.

In one embodiment, the step of assembling the reporter comprisesdispersing the at least one nanostructure in distilled water to form afirst mixture; dissolving the reporter in ethanol to form a reportersolution; adding the reporter solution to the first mixture and stirringto form a second mixture; and centrifuging the second mixture to form afirst precipitate comprising the at least one nanostructure assembledwith the reporter.

In one embodiment, the step of coating the thiolated PEG layer on theassembled reporter, includes dispersing the first precipitate in athiolated polyethylene glycol acid (HS-PEG-COOH) solution and vigorouslystirring to form a third mixture; adding thiolated polyethylene glycol(HS-PEG) to the third mixture and keeping it at a temperature for aperiod of time to form a fourth mixture; and centrifuging the fourthmixture to form a second precipitate, wherein the second precipitatecomprises the nanostructure assembled with the reporter coated with thethiolated PEG layer.

In one embodiment, the step of conjugating the layer of the treatingagent and the targeting agent to the reporter comprises suspending thesecond precipitate in a PBS buffer by sonicating to form a suspendingmixture; adding NHS and EDC to the suspending mixture and stirring toform a fifth mixture; washing the fifth mixture by centrifuging toobtain a third precipitate; dispensing the third precipitate in the PBSbuffer to form a sixth mixture; adding the treating agent and/or thetargeting agent to the sixth mixture and mixing thoroughly to form aseventh mixture; and stirring the seventh mixture at a temperature toform the nanocomposite.

FIG. 6 shows schematically a process for making a nanoagent ofplasmonically active nanorods decorated with a multitude of drugs and amultitude of targeting molecules according to one embodiment of theinvention. Each of these nanocomposites has a different Raman moleculethat provides a different SERS signature. In certain embodiments, themethod for making each type of the nanocomposites is the same as thatshown in FIG. 5 above. In other embodiments, the step of coating athiolated PEG layer is performed prior to the step of assembling areporter, as shown in FIG. 6.

These and other aspects of the invention are more specifically describedbelow. Without intent to limit the scope of the invention, exemplarymethods and their related results according to the embodiments of thepresent invention are given below. Note that titles or subtitles may beused in the examples for convenience of a reader, which in no way shouldlimit the scope of the invention. Moreover, certain theories areproposed and disclosed herein; however, in no way they, whether they areright or wrong, should limit the scope of the invention so long as theinvention is practiced according to the invention without regard for anyparticular theory or scheme of action.

Reagents:

Deionized water (18 Ω/cm) was used in all preparation procedures. Thefollowing chemicals were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich: Gold (III)chloride trihydrate (99%), sodium borohydride (99%), L-ascorbic acid(98%), p-aminothiophenol (PATP), Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) (MW about10,000), N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS), 1N-ethyl-N′-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC), Doxorubicin hydrochloride, andHS-PEG-COOH (MW about 3000). Silver nitrate was purchased from FisherScientific; exadecyltrimethylammoniumbromide (CTAB 99%) was purchasedfrom MP Biomedicals; SH-PEG (Mw about 5000) was purchased from Nanocs(95%); anti-EpCAM and anti-CD44 were purchased from Cell Signaling athigh purities. Doxorubicin and Docetaxel were obtained from Abcam.

Synthesis of Gold nanorods (AuNRs):

AuNRs were prepared according to the silver ion-assisted, seed-mediatedmethod [4, 7]. Specifically, seed solution was prepared as follows: 1mmol of CTAB solution was added to 2.5×10⁻³ mmol Gold chloride solution;next, 0.6 ml of 10 mM sodium borohydride was poured into the solutionand stirred for 5 minutes. In order to synthesize the AuNRs solutionwith an aspect ratio of 3, the following procedure was performed; 1 mmolof CTAB was added to 0.15 ml of 4 mM silver nitrate (AgNO₃), then2.5×10⁻³ mmol of HAuCl₄ solution were added to the total solution. Asmall amount of ascorbic acid was added afterward as a reduction agent.70 μl of 78.8 mM ascorbic acid were added gradually until the mixturebecame colorless. After that, 12 μl of gold seed solution were added,and the total solution was kept between 27-30° C. for at least fortyminutes. Finally, gold nanorods were purified by using 10,000 rpm (30minutes) centrifugation.

Synthesis of Silver-Decorated Gold Nanorods (AuNR/Ag):

Silver-decorated gold nanorods were synthesized based on an assaydescribed previously [4, 8, 9]. Briefly, 5 ml of 1%Poly(vinylpyrrolidinone) solution were mixed with 5 ml AuNRs in CTAB,then 0.25 ml of 1 mM silver nitrate (AgNO₃) solution were added to thetotal solution and stirred gently. In order to produce a thin layer ofmetallic silver, 0.1 ml of 100 mM ascorbic acid in basic medium (0.2 mlof 100 mM NaOH) were added and used as a reduction agent. Afterward,decorated nanorods were centrifuged at least twice at 12,000 rpm for 30minutes to remove any excess chemicals.

Synthesis of SERS Nano-Agents [4]:

Silver-decorated gold nanorods loaded with p-aminothiophenol (PATP) aretypically referred to as Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS)nano-agents [4]. Thiolated small organic molecules (PATP) self-assembledon a silver layer. Approximately 5 μl of 10 mM PATP solution were addedto the silver-coated gold nanorods solution and kept at 45° C. for atleast 180 minutes. Afterward, 10,000 rpm centrifugation was performed toremove any excess chemicals.

Conjugation of Doxorubicin (M) and Anti-EpCAM(Ab1) and Docetaxel (D2)and Anti-CD44 (Ab2) with SERS Nano-Agents (Synthesis of D-Ab Conjugates)[4]

SERS nano-agents were re-dispersed in 2 ml of 2 mg/ml carboxyl thiolatedpolyethylene glycol (HS-PEG-COOH) solution (molecular weight 3000g/mol), and thiolated PEG solution was prepared in 2 mM solution ofsodium chloride. Next, the solution was stirred for 15 minutes.Afterward, 1.8 ml of 2 mg/ml thiolated polyethylene glycol (HS-PEG) wereadded to the total solution to stabilize the conjugates and keptovernight at 5° C. Excess PEG was removed by centrifugation for 15minutes at 4000 rpm. NHS/EDC assay [10] was used to conjugate thefunctionalized PEG coated nanorods with drugs and antibodies. Briefly; 4ml of purified functionalized nanorods (AuNR/Ag/PATP/PEG) were reactedwith antibodies and drugs to obtain AuNR/Ag/PATP/PEG/D-Ab(Nanorod-conjugate). The antibody-tagged, drug-loaded nanorods werepurified and re-dispersed in 5 ml of 1×PBS solution and kept at −20° C.

Doxorubicin Loading:

UV-Visible spectra were conducted to calculate the loading percentage ofDox on a certain amount of Nanorod-conjugates. All measurements wereconducted at the maximum absorption peak for Dox, 233 nm. According tothe standard curve shown in FIG. 3B, the amount of Dox loaded on eachNanorod-conjugates was 4.3%. As part of this process, one or more of thepeaks that is specific to each family of nanocomposites can be used tonot just visualize them in biological systems, but also to possiblyquantify them. Peaks that are not overlapping can be used for the actualanalysis. Given the SERS enhancement provided by the Au—Ag structure ofthe nanocomposites, these peaks are strong enough to where they can bedetected easily among various biological systems. FIG. 3B shows themechanism of loading the nanocomposites with various drugs (in this casedoxorubicin), and the quantification of the attachment efficiency byoptical spectroscopy. The intensity of one of the drug absorption peakscan be used for this purpose.

Cancer Cells Culture [2, 11]:

Human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) and prostate carcinoma (PC3) cellswere purchased from ATCC, then planted according to ATCC protocol in T75tissue culture flasks at a density of using Dulbecco's modified Eaglemedium supported with fetal bovine serum (10%) and penicillin (1%), andstreptomycin (500 units/ml)) then incubated at 37° C. in a 5% CO₂atmosphere. Afterward, the cells were sub-cultured byEDTA-trypsinization for further experiments, in which cells were treatedwith Nanorod-conjugates. The cells were kept in sterilized conditions,and the medium was changed every 48 h.

Cancer Cell Viability Using Nanorod-Conjugates:

MCF7 and PC3 cells' viability was determined after incubation withAuNR-Dox-EpCAM conjugates using WST-1 assay. Briefly, two sets of bothcancer cell lines (MCF-7 and PC3) were planted using 96-well plates(density of 10×10³) and left to grow for 24 hours. Next, differentconcentrations (0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, and 150 μg/ml) ofNanorod-conjugates (AuNR-Dox-EpCAM) were incubated with both cell lines.After 48 hours of incubation, WST-1 assays were preformed according toRoche® protocol. The assays were repeated in triplicate for statisticalanalysis; then the IC₅₀ values were determined.

Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) Tracing of Nanorod-ConjugatesInside Cancer Cells:

MCF7 and PC3 (15×10³/chamber) were grown in two-sided chamber slides.Within 24 hours of the cells' attachment, 100 μg/mL Nanorod-conjugatewere added to each cell line and incubated for 48 hours; subsequently,the cells were fixed using 2% formaldehyde solution then washed 6 timesand kept under −20° C.

Characterization of Nanorod-Conjugate (AuNR-D-Ab):

Gold nanorods with specific aspect ratio (width/height being about 3)were prepared according to a seed-mediated method [4, 12]. SERSnano-agents, loaded with drugs and antibodies (Nanorod-conjugates), wereprepared according to EDC/NHS coupling reaction using a one-stepapproach as presented in FIG. 6. Gold nanorods morphology weredetermined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) as shown in FIG.1B. Following this step, nanorods were covered with a thin layer (about2 nm) of silver [9].

Synthesis of SERS Nano-Agents:

In order to trace the Nanorod-conjugates inside cells, small organicmolecules that scatter light in a specific spectral signature calledRaman organic molecules, such as p-aminothiophenol (PATP), were attachedto the surface of the nanorods that have a specific Raman signal whichcan be measured using a Raman spectrophotometer, as shown in FIGS. 3Aand 3B.

The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the inventionhas been presented only for the purposes of illustration and descriptionand is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to theprecise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possiblein light of the above teaching.

The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain theprinciples of the invention and their practical application so as toenable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention and variousembodiments and with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated. Alternative embodiments will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertainswithout departing from its spirit and scope. Accordingly, the scope ofthe invention is defined by the appended claims as well as the inventionincluding drawings.

LISTING OF REFERENCES

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What is claimed is:
 1. A nanocomposite for detection and treatment of atarget of interest, wherein the target of interest comprises tumor cellsor pathogens, comprising: at least one nanostructure, each nanostructurehaving a core and a shell surrounding the core, wherein each corecomprises a nanoparticle including a gold nanorod, and the shellcomprises a layer comprising silver nanoparticles; a reporter assembledon the shell of each nanostructure, wherein the reporter comprises4-(methylsulfanyl) thiophenol (4MSTP); and a layer of a treating agentand a targeting agent conjugated to the reporter, wherein thenanocomposite is configured to target the target of interest accordingto the targeting agent and release the treating agent and thenanostructure therein for therapeutic treatment of the target ofinterest, whereby the target of interest transmits at least onesignature responsive to the reporter for detection of the target ofinterest.
 2. The nanocomposite of claim 1, wherein the at least onesignature transmitted from the target of interest responsive to thereporter is detectable by at least one of surface enhanced Ramanspectroscopy (SERS), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), x-rayradiography, computed tomography (CT), and infrared spectroscopy (IR).3. The nanocomposite of claim 1, wherein the treating agent comprises adrug, a growth factor, a protein, or other biologically activemolecules.
 4. The nanocomposite of claim 1, wherein the targeting agentcomprises anti-epithelial cell adhesion molecule antibody (anti-EpCAM),anti-CD44 antibody, anti-insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor antibody(anti-IGF-1R), anti-Keratin 18 antibody, or one or more antibodiesspecific to the target of interest.
 5. The nanocomposite of claim 1,further comprising a pegylated layer formed between the reporter and thelayer of the treating agent and the targeting agent, or formed betweenthe shell and the reporter.
 6. The nanocomposite of claim 5, wherein thepegylated layer comprises at least one of thiolated polyethylene glycol(HS-PEG), thiolated polyethylene glycol acid (HS-PEG-COOH) andHS-PEG-NHx, wherein x is 1 or
 2. 7. The nanocomposite of claim 6,wherein the treating agent and the targeting agent are conjugated to thepegylated layer through a carboxylic group of the HS-PEG-COOH or aminegroup of the HS-PEG-NHx.
 8. A nanoagent for detection and treatment of aplurality of targets of interest, the nanoagent comprising a pluralityof nanocomposites of claim
 1. 9. The nanoagent of claim 8, wherein: theplurality of nanocomposites comprises a first nanocomposite, a secondnanocomposite, a third nanocomposite, and a fourth nanocomposite. 10.The nanoagent of claim 9, wherein: the targeting agent of the firstnanocomposite comprises molecules of anti-epithelial cell adhesionmolecule antibody (anti-EpCAM); the targeting agent of the secondnanocomposite comprises molecules of anti-CD44 antibody; the targetingagent of the third nanocomposite comprises molecules ofanti-insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor antibody (anti-IGF-1R); andthe targeting agent of the fourth nanocomposite comprises molecules ofanti-Keratin 18 antibody.
 11. A nanocomposite for detection andtreatment of a target of interest, wherein the target of interestcomprises tumor cells or pathogens, comprising: at least onenanostructure, each nanostructure having a core and a shell surroundingthe core; a reporter assembled on the shell of each nanostructure; alayer of a treating agent and a targeting agent conjugated to thereporter; and a pegylated layer formed between the reporter and thelayer of the treating agent and the targeting agent, or formed betweenthe shell and the reporter, wherein the pegylated layer comprisesHS-PEG-NHx, wherein x is 1 or 2; wherein the nanocomposite is configuredto target the target of interest according to the targeting agent andrelease the treating agent and the nanostructure therein for therapeutictreatment of the target of interest, whereby the target of interesttransmits at least one signature responsive to the reporter fordetection of the target of interest.
 12. The nanocomposite of claim 11,wherein each core comprises a nanoparticle including a gold nanorod, andwherein the shell comprises a layer comprising silver nanoparticles. 13.The nanocomposite of claim 11, wherein the reporter comprises4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4MBA),p-aminothiophenol (PATP),p-nitrothiophenol (PNTP), 4-(methylsulfanyl) thiophenol (4MSTP),molecules with an unique Raman spectral signature, or a fluorescentagent.
 14. The nanocomposite of claim 11, wherein the at least onesignature transmitted from the target of interest responsive to thereporter is detectable by at least one of surface enhanced Ramanspectroscopy (SERS), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), x-rayradiography, computed tomography (CT), and infrared spectroscopy (IR).15. The nanocomposite of claim 11, wherein the treating agent comprisesa drug, a growth factor, a protein, or other biologically activemolecules.
 16. The nanocomposite of claim 11, wherein the targetingagent comprises anti-epithelial cell adhesion molecule antibody(anti-EpCAM), anti-CD44 antibody, anti-insulin-like growth factor 1receptor antibody (anti-IGF-1R), anti-Keratin 18 antibody, or one ormore antibodies specific to the target of interest.
 17. Thenanocomposite of claim 11, wherein the treating agent and the targetingagent are conjugated to the pegylated layer through an amine group ofthe HS-PEG-NHx.